Toothy Tier Cake

Four figures enter the shop, covered from head to toe in thick parkas, gloves, goggles and beanies. The wind that accompanies them is absolutely frigid, blasting a hurricane of snow through the open door before the last member of the group slams it shut. They don't seem to care about the various treats on display or the cozy ambience of the shop as they approach Laura, pulling off their jackets and goggles in the sudden warmth. 

"Thank God! We didn't think anyone would still be open this late!" the lead member exclaims, revealing himself to be a middle-aged man as he pulls his face covering down, exposing his salt and pepper beard. "Our car got stuck about a mile down the road. Do you mind if we hunker down here until the storm passes?"

Laura smiles widely. "Of course not! Make yourselves comfortable." Two of the other members join the middle-aged man, who introduces himself as Ted, the others being his wife Karen and son Chris. While Chris bears a striking resemblance to his father, he has the same red hair as Karen.

Danielle watches the group through a gap in the shelves in front of her, positioned by the shop counter in such a way that she can see them while not being seen herself. However, she does have a direct view of the fourth group member, who walks about fifteen feet away from her as he checks out the shop. He has removed his goggles and beanie as well, revealing himself to be the youngest member of the group, bearing a similar look to Chris and Ted with the same dark hair as his father.

The youngster finds himself in front of the lollipop display, his back to Danielle, oblivious to the young witch. Before Danielle can even think of saying something to him, he takes the same neon green sucker that Anna had chosen from the rack, unwraps it and licks it without hesitation. Turning slightly, Danielle sees a look of confusion and surprise on his face. Clearly, the lollipop was not the flavor he was expecting. Just as he finally makes eye-contact with Danielle, he goes in for a second lick, trying to confirm the bizarre flavor.

The two parties stare at each other with wide eyes. Danielle starts shaking her head at him, but Circe tightens her coils and hisses in warning, making Danielle stop her vain attempt to warn him. The picture of the young witch restrained to a chair by a giant multicolored snake obviously confuses the boy, so he does what any sensible person would do: he shakes his head, gives the neon green sucker a sidelong glance, rewraps it and shoves it in his pocket. The boy walks unsteadily past Danielle, ignoring her and looking visibly pale, and joins the rest of the family as they arrive at the main counter.

Now that the rest of the family can see Danielle, Karen points at her in alarm, "Is that girl being eaten by a snake?!" 

Chris has a much less excited reaction. "No way mom. That's got to be a Halloween decoration or something."

"Don't worry about her," Laura clarifies. "That's just my daughter, Danielle. You could say she's in timeout."

The family exchanges looks of confusion before the young boy rejoins them. Upon seeing his sickly face, Karen rushes to him. "Carter! Where have you been? You look terrible!" She places her hand against Carter's forehead, "You're burning up!"

Carter pulls the lollipop out of his pocket, but as he opens his mouth to explain his suspicions, he instead barfs directly on the floor in front of Karen before collapsing into her arms. Karen cries out in panic and the rest of the family rallies around her, trying to get a grasp on the situation. The sucker falls to the floor, where it is retrieved by Laura. 

"Fever Green, hmmm? An excellent choice. The burning flavor is simply extraordinary, isn't it?" she questions Carter, who has become unresponsive in his mother's arms. Karen turns to Laura, screaming hysterically, "What have you done to him!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY..."

In the commotion following Carter's arrival, only Danielle was witness to the arrival of Laura's monsters. They emerged from behind the brick wall, two gigantic tier cakes walking on comically short, muscly legs as big around as tree trunks. One of the cakes is covered in pure white frosting, as if made for a wedding celebration. The other is enveloped in black icing, clearly intended for a funeral. Despite their gargantuan size, so tall that they almost reach the ceiling of the candy shop, they move with an unnatural silence. Adding to the mystery, the monsters appear to have no eyes or ears or nose or any other way to tell where they are going, and yet they home in on the family with no trouble at all.

As the behemoths' shadows cover their victims, Laura introduces them. "Say hello to my Toothy Tier Cakes! Specially baked for this year's Halloween celebration!" 

Unfortunately, Ted decides that now is a good time to try and broker peace. "Now, listen here. I don't understand what's going on, but I'm sure this is all one big misunderstanding..."

In the blink of an eye, the wedding cake attacks. The lowest tier opening to reveal a giant mouth filled with row upon row of what appear to be shark's teeth. Ted has just enough time to recognize his impending death before the maw snaps like a bear trap, eating him entirely in one quick motion. Ted's muffled screams are almost immediately silenced as the cake visibly chews on him, making sickening crunching and splattering sounds. Sated for now, it steps back silently, allowing the funeral cake room to attack.

While Chris has the presence of mind to dive out of the way, Karen is too shocked to move, becoming the funeral cake's victim. Unlike her husband, she makes no noise during her own demise. Carter is not long in following his parents into the afterlife, convulsing on the floor before laying deathly still.

As Chris backs away, the cakes close in on him. The upper two tiers of the cakes snap open and closed excitedly, making the same barking noise that could be heard earlier. Instead of having the look of a desperate, terrified man however, Chris directs a look of pure hatred at Laura, who has been watching the carnage unfold with a bemused expression plastered across her face. But before the cakes can deliver their final, two-pronged attack, Danielle's voice makes itself known.

"MOTHER! I DEMAND you let me kill the last human. Set me free, RIGHT NOW!!!"